The background of the invention will be discussed in two parts:
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to toy vehicles and more particularly to a two wheeled flywheel powered toy motorcycle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Inertia wheels or flywheels as a source of storing energy is well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 639,567 discloses a bicycle having a rear wheel with a flywheel mounted for rotation between the spokes thereof, the flywheel being rotatable through gearing in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the wheel for acting as a stabilizer. U.S. Pat. No. 1,599,117 likewise discloses a flywheel arrangement in which a weighted flywheel is secured to the hub of the bicycle wheel for storing energy.
Flywheels and inertia wheels have likewise been utilized in toy vehicles such as those vehicles shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,829,467; 3,621,607; and 3,886,682. In the first of the above-referenced patents, the flywheel is mounted within a space formed in the front wheel, the flywheel being secured to the axle with rotation thereof imparting movement to the wheel upon placing the vehicle on a flat surface to cause friction between the wheel hub and the front axle to cause the wheel to move to propel the motorcycle. The slip fit between the hub of the wheel and the flywheel axle permits the flywheel to rotate at a speed faster than that of the wheel to act as a gyro for stabilizing the motorcycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,621,607 has an O-ring encircling the flywheel for providing traction for propelling the vehicle. The last of the three above-mentioned patents includes a launching apparatus which is manually operated for driving a flywheel within a toy motorcycle and releasing the motorcycle in response to a change in speed of manual rotation of the launching mechanism.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved flywheel powered toy vehicle.
It is another object of the invention to provide a flywheel powered toy motorcycle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a flywheel powered toy motorcycle having pull string means for energizing the flywheel and a shift clutch for connecting the flywheel to the drive wheel through a gear train.